I am going to stick my neck out and postulate that the GB is not EVIL
nor is the Watchtower society as a whole. I'm sorry this got a little long but please accept the challenge and show me wrong.
Evil= 1 Morally wrong or bad, wicked; 2 Harmful, injurious.
(Random House Webster’s Dictionary)
By this dictionary definition we are all Evil at times. Are we now to try to evaluate levels of evil or duration of periods of evil to determine who is more evil than others?
I like a different definition that I got from Scott Peck in his book People of the Lie. Though I cannot quote an exact reference my recollection is that he defined an evil person as one who will harm others knowingly for what he can gain out of it.
If we accept this definition, I ask again “Is the GB Evil?”
Ray Franz in his book Crisis of Conscience on page 262 says:
I feel only compassion for those men I know, for I too was such a “victim of victims” a “follower of followers”.I admire Ray’s candor and forbearance. He also relates evidence that N.H. Knorr too was a “victim of victims” on page 248 of C of C in regard to the 1914 controversy:
There are some things I know---I know that Jehovah is God, that Christ Jesus is his son, that he gave his life as a ransom for us, that there is a resurrection. Other things I’m not so certain about. 1914---I don’t know. We have talked about 1914 for a long time. We may be right and I hope we are.Having served at Bethel from the late 60’s to the mid 70’ Nathan Knorr was probably my least liked member of the GB (most of the time I was there he WAS the GB). Yet even his comments sound not like a man bent on harming people for what he could get out of it, but perhaps a ‘follower of followers’, ‘victim of victims’. My feeling about the other members of the GB whom I knew is the same.
We were once all ‘followers of followers’. As such we all did things that caused harm to others.
Did we not lead others to the same victimization by our sharing in the “kingdom preaching”?
Did we by word and example recommend the “truth” to co-workers, relatives, neighbors and friends? (God forbid)
Did not some of us raise our children into this same dependency as followers of followers? ( I have asked my kids to forgive me)
Some of us have been even more evil(?) as a follower. I went along with decisions of the body that I was certain would harm someone. I justified it for what I believed would be for the good overall for the individual or the congregation. I really believed it at the time. Now I see I isolated needy people from support and separated family members.
How many of you at one time shunned DF’d or DA’d friends or relatives knowing it hurt them but believing it was right and good for all concerned?
Does this make us all EVIL, or does it indicate we were victims of victims?
I have dealt with some evil people (individuals) inside the organization. Yes, I believe we have all run into those individuals who would hurt us or others intentionally to obtain their goals. In my case they were mostly Bethelites, CO’s, DO’s, Elders and several manipulative, self-righteous sisters. But these were individuals who knowingly harmed others .
Yes we will find evil people in the Christian Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Inc. But if finding evil individuals inside an organization of ‘followers’ makes the entire organization and its leadership EVIL, then the WT is right in labeling all governments, religions, and commerce as evil on the same bases. I think not.
But the GB claims to speak for God! This is profound, I agree. Does this claim make them more reprehensible? Perhaps. You tell me. So far I see “followers of followers”, even those appointed and told they ‘speak for God’ as victims of previous propaganda, a terrible delusion. At that level rather than evil in these men, I see the height of delusion and stupidity.
What do you think? Now be kind!
Jst2laws
